


Flight

by Jathis



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Birds, Fluff, Genderfluid Character, Happy Ending, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: Ortolan buntings are a delicacy to the rich and powerful
Relationships: LeFou & Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast), LeFou/Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Flight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YodaBen2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YodaBen2/gifts).



He knew what the black box was as soon as the delivery boy carried it into the kitchens and set it down in the pantry. He shuddered as he hugged himself, biting his lower lip. Even the lowest of peasants knew what such a box meant, especially in a castle of a prince! He quickly looked away, mentally trying to force himself to think about literally anything else besides the black box in the pantry.

It didn’t work.

Lefou found himself thinking about the box and its contents for the rest of the day. He imagined the occupants being bloated from too much feed. He wondered if the darkness of the box had been enough or if forcibly blinding the occupants inside had been done by whoever caught them. The idea made him shudder, hoping it had not been done.

Doing what he planned to do would be much harder if they had been blinded.

He waited until it was the middle of the night before slipping out of bed. He stopped once when Stanley’s arm hugged him around his middle, waiting until they had settled down again before escaping their grip. He didn’t want to involve them in such an odd task. He put on his slippers and waited until he was out of the room before lighting a candle, making his way down to the royal kitchens. He let out a sigh of relief when he found them empty, glad that he wouldn’t have to come up with some kind of lie as he went to the pantry.

The box was easy to find. It was only one that was completely black with the smallest of air holes on the bottom. He picked it up and smiled in relief when he heard faint scratching and chirping inside. That was a good sign for their health. He tucked it under his arm, adjusting his grip to keep a firm hold on it as he turned to leave.

Stanley stood in the open doorway, watching him with eyes still a little blurry from sleep.

Lefou stopped and just barely kept his grip on the box. He hissed, cooing softly in apology as he heard several of the box’s occupants chirp in protest at the sudden jolt. He looked back up at Stanley, blushing at being caught. He should have waited a little longer perhaps…

Wordlessly Stanley stepped back, tilting their head towards one of the doors that led to the garden. They smiled at Lefou knowingly, taking the candle so he could use both hands to hold the box. They helped to open the door for him, following him outside.

Carefully Lefou set the box down on a bench and he worked on opening it. He hissed softly as the wood splintered and parted, opening little by little. He peeked inside and let out a sigh of relief when he found little black eyes looking back at him. The birds had not had their eyes gouged out. He ripped the box open the rest of the way and let out a surprised laugh as the Ortolan buntings inside immediately took flight, finding refuge among the trees and beyond. A few of them looked to be on the fat side but none of them seemed to have difficulty flying.

Stanley hugged Lefou around his middle, kissing the top of his head as the night was filled with the sparrows’ song. They hummed as they nuzzled him, enjoying the song of the freed birds with their husband.


End file.
